TIL elevator counterweights are actually heavier than the car when empty

Was reading the old Otis maintenance manual from a 1972 install in downtown St. Louis last week. Turns out the counterweight is sized to the car plus 40-50% of rated load, so it's always heavier than an empty cab. That explains why a full car feels different on the way up versus down, and why the brake has to hold so much more when nobody's onboard. Anyone else ever calculate the exact ratio on a modern traction setup and get surprised?

1 comments

1 Comment

claire95817d ago

Wondering how deep this rabbit hole really goes, man.